In April 2017 Vogue asked 'Is Modeling Ready For Its Next Great Linda?' While assuring us that Brazilian models Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima still reign supreme, Janelle Okwodu shared news of 20-year-old IMG's Linda Helena and her rising runway and editorial star. See Instagram.
The smoldering mix of vixen status with a vibrant androgyny gives Linda Helena tremendous appeal. In a year of Trump, the historic January 2017 Women's March and now the #MeToo campaign. Female empowerment sells better than sex -- at least to women -- writes Facebook IQ in its first annual trends report.
The months since the Women's March have unleashed a torrent of sexual harassment accusations against prominent figures, with stories coming out on such a regular basis that “The Silence Breakers” were named Time Person of the Year.
Linda Helena's strong features blend perfectly her innate sensuality with a lady boss physicality. Other compliments about Linda Helena underscore her ability to role play with easy, making her not just another pretty woman like Kendall Jenner.
The rising star arrived in New York from the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. located close to Bolivia and Paraguay. Now she lives in Brooklyn, where the sports enthusiast calls the Barclays Center her second home.
A Google search doesn't put feminism in Linda Helena's on the record commentary, but she cites charity as a huge part of her identity, telling Vogue:
“When I was a kid I thought I was going live my life helping abandoned animals. I'm not too far off that goal, though; I still volunteer at animal shelters every Sunday in Brooklyn. My first day, I ended up taking two cats home! Charity is a huge part of who I am; I always want to be giving back. Most people don't know it, but I grew up singing in hospitals and nursing homes to the sick and elderly. Not many people know I can even carry a tune.”
